The present disclosure relates generally to the field of vehicle airbags. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to a vehicle rear window curtain airbag.
Vehicle airbags are used to help protect vehicle occupants from injury in the event of a vehicle crash. Head Side Airbags (HSABs) or Side Curtain Airbags (SCABs) are provided in vehicles for protection of occupants during side impact collisions and are generally mounted in a vehicle through attachments to sheet metal at a roof rail location at either side of the vehicle, i.e., driver side and/or passenger side.
Many vehicles (i.e., minivans, sport utility vehicles, crossover vehicles, city cars, hatchbacks, pick-up trucks, etc) have substantially flat rear ends and include seating that is provided in close proximity to a rear window. In a rear collision, a vehicle or other object may intrude into the passenger compartment of the vehicle being struck. In such a collision, occupants of the rear-ended vehicle risk being struck with debris or objects entering the vehicle interior through the rear window, being struck by glass from a broken rear window, or may collide with the rear window, causing injuries to the head or upper extremities. Further, in collisions or rollover events, occupants may be ejected out of the vehicle through the rear window.
It would be advantageous to provide a curtain airbag proximate to the rear window of a vehicle to reduce the likelihood of injury to the occupant and reduce the likelihood the occupant will be ejected through the rear window.